Skinny jeans
Slim-fit pants or skinny jeans (when made of denim) have a snug fit through the legs and end in a small leg opening that can be anywhere from 9" to 20" depending on size.[1] Other names for this style include drainpipes, stovepipes, tight pants, cigarette pants, pencil pants, skinny pants, "gas pipes", or skinnies. Skinny jeans taper completely at the bottom of the leg, whereas drainpipe jeans are skinny but then the lower leg is straight instead of tapering and so they are often slightly baggier at the bottom of the leg than skinny jeans. In some styles, zippers are needed at the bottom of the leg to facilitate pulling them over the feet. Stretch denim, with anywhere from 2% to 4% spandex, may be used to allow jeans to have a super-slim fit. Skinny jeans come in a variety of colors and styles. History Origins From the 16th until the 19th century, the Mughlai nobility attired themselves in tight-fitting Churidars which were worn tied below the knee. These trousers, and other elements of traditional clothing like the Shalwar Kameez, were often worn by Englishmen working in India, especially officers of the East India Trading Company.[4]Before the 18th century, European men wore breeches and hosen. In Tudor times, these breeches were loose-fitting, but by the 1660s, tight breeches were fashionable. These were popularised by Frenchmen at the court of Louis XIII, as part of the three piece suit that also included a type of frock coat called a Justacorps, a tricorne hat, a powdered wig, and a long waistcoat. During theRestoration era, the tighter breeches were introduced to England, and the rest of Europe, because the cut was deemed more flattering to the leg.[3] The early 19th century Decline 1890-1940 Tight fitting trousers were fashionable from 1805 until 1850, being descended from the loose work trousers worn as a political statement by Sans-Culottes during the French Revolution.[5] These "pantaloons," popularised by Regency era Englishmen like Beau Brummel, were worn high on the waist and tailored to accentuate the leg like the breeches previously fashionable among the upper class.[6] Pantaloons were tied (or buttoned) around the ankle and commonly put into boots. Pants, which had come to mean tight-fitting trousers, but now just a synonym, fitted more loosely from the 1840s onwards as mass-production replaced tailoring. Beginning in the Edwardian eraand continuing into the 1920s, baggy "Oxford" or "collegiate" trousers and plus fours were fashionable among the younger generation. As the name suggests, Oxford bags originated at the UK's elite universities, where young upper class men pursued an active, sports-centred lifestyle. The 1950s The 1960s Drainpipe trousers re-emerged in the 1950s, with popular stars such as the singing cowboy Roy Rogers, Lone Ranger, Cisco Kid, Zorro and Gene Autry, actress Marilyn Monroe, and Sandra Dee wearing their pants very slim to the ankle. Tapered jeans became most notable with country music stars and with the birth of rock and roll in the 1950s, when Elvis Presley donned slim-fitting jeans and shocked the country. Drainpipe jeans and rock 'n' roll were inextricably linked to create the "bad boy" image that remains today. In the early 1960s, they were worn by numerous rock bands and musicians, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. Fashion icon Audrey Hepburn also raised the popularity of drainpipe jeans. Slim fitting pants and jeans where essentially worn not just by people who where associated with the Mods or Rockers but also ordinary people. The trend lasted until the end of the 1960s when Hippie Culture gave rise to flared pants and bell bottom jeans. The 1970s In the early 1970s, glam rock and rockabilly bands reviving the Teddy Boy look popularised drainpipe jeans in contrast to the flared trousers worn by hippies. Red tartan drainpipe jeans (as they were then called) were popular in the punk subculture of the late 1970s, worn by many bands and scene leaders such as Ramones, The Clash and Sex Pistols. The 1980s The 1990s Skin-tight acid-washed jeans were also very popular in the 1980s with most heavy metal bands, and in particular those in the thrash metal scene, such as Anthrax, Megadeth, Metallica andSlayer. This was the trend for those who did not wear spandex, which was popular with the dominant heavy metal scene at the time. They were often worn with white high-top sneakers or basketball shoes like Converse. By the late 1980s, drainpipe pants were largely superseded by straight leg jeans like Levi 501s, but remained popular among fans of hard rock until the 1990s. By the early 1990s, many glam metal bands such as Poison, Mötley Crüe, Kiss, Bon Jovi, and Slaughter, ditched the spandex and wore the form fitted jeans. Tight fitting jeans were also worn by pop stars like Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury. However, with the rise of grunge and hip-hop music in the early 1990s and the post thrash movement, drainpipe jeans quickly went out of fashion in favor of baggy carpenter jeans, as worn by hip-hop/rap acts such as Kris Kross, Another Bad Creation, Snoop Dogg and other rap artists. 2000s 2010s By 2004, skinny jeans began to replace the baggy gangster jeans of the 1990s and early 2000s (decade).[8] Among women, skinny jeans are most often worn tucked into boots or scrunched up over the wearer's footwear,[9] and are also often paired with ballerina flats[citation needed]. The fashion spread to teens, children and young men from 2007-2014.[10] Slim-fitting pants remained popular for much of the 2010s, although many men switched from denim jeans to tight-fitting chino trousers.[11][12] In Europe, skinny jeans for boys and men have a loose waist to appear "baggy" at the top but skinny on the legs.[13] Medical problems Victorian doctors theorised tight trousers caused an outbreak of apoplexy in New York. However, the veracity of this statement is questionable, given the largely speculative nature of early medicine.[14] In modern times, some physicians believe tight trousers may cause numbness due to compression of a nerve. For example, this may affect the outer thigh in the condition meralgia paraesthetica.[15] A recent study by Korean doctors suggests that skinny jeans can cause Varicose veins.[16] Among men, tight trousers may also cause dyspermia due to overheating of the testes.[17] Religion In the Middle East, some Islamist groups disapprove of tight trousers, because they are considered immodest, overtly sexual, or a threat to local traditions.[18] In Saudi Arabia, the police are instructed to arrest teenagers who dress this way because the tight jeans are seen as un-Islamic and, when worn by men, a sign of homosexuality.[19] In the Gaza strip, Palestinian youths caught wearing skinny jeans have been arrested and beaten by the police, and forced to have their hair cut.[18] In Sudan and Iraq, young men and women have been imprisoned, raped and even murdered,[20] for wearing them.[21] See also *2000s in fashion *2010s in fashion *Wide leg jeans *Bell bottoms *Jeggings *Breeches *Hose (clothing) *Tights Category:Clothes